


Cheat codes

by dreamerbydawn



Series: Our little games [1]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Ian and Mickey looking out for each other basically, M/M, Set sometime in season 3, Triggers - parental abuse, [Spring break draft clean up], mention of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-03-20 21:56:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3666678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamerbydawn/pseuds/dreamerbydawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian Gallagher knows Terry is as abusive as he is psychotic, just like he knows Mickey will never just let Ian take care of him after a beating. </p>
<p> The good thing though, is Ian also knows better than anyone, how to manipulate Mickey into letting him. </p>
<p> And yeah, so what if he needs Frank's help for it? It's about time the drunk made himself useful anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cheat codes

The first time it had happened, Ian had been on the phone with Mandy. She was complaining about how she hated that they each pretended Terry didn’t hurt them. About how they would never talk about it and just dealt with the blood and bruises on their own. 

Now he knew Joey was in the can and Iggy and Colin were on some drug run for the Milkovich patriarch, because Mickey was supposed to go as well. He had complained about being left behind earlier that day. 

So it was probably a safe bet to say it was Mickey that was getting the shit kicked out of him right then, and all Ian could do was overhear the beating on the phone. 

Ian knew offering to help out would only ruin whatever good thing he was building up with the shorter boy and decided to take the harder route instead. 

That of course, was what sent him looking for Frank right before work a few days later. Who knew the old fucker could actually be of use?

*

“The fuck happened to you?” Mickey asked, glancing up from where he was stood outside the Kash and Grab, arriving for once, before Ian did. 

“Fuck off” Ian mumbled under his breath, shoving past the other boy and entering the store. 

He saw Mickey follow him in, his eyes on the developing shiner and the still bloody nose, that Ian had purposefully not cleaned up yet. 

“How is the other guy then firecrotch?” Mickey questioned, trying as he usually did, to sound disinterested. 

“What other guy Mickey?” Ian grumbled, finally getting himself behind the counter. 

“Whoever did a number on you tough guy” The older boy shrugged, watching as Ian attempted to wipe the blood with just tissue.

“You mean fucking Frank?” Ian asks, shoving a bit of rolled up tissue into his nose to stop the bleeding. 

“Frank? Frank hits you?” Mickey’s tone had changed, just like Ian had known it would, and while the Gallagher admittedly had to actually pay Frank to do it this time, he didn’t feel too bad about lying. 

“Like Terry doesn’t hit you” Ian answered, managing to sound defensive. 

He noticed Mickey freeze out of the corner of his eye but pretended to not pay attention to him. 

“You uh want me to get a look at that?” Mickey offers, after a long pause, thumb rubbing at his bottom lip in his nervousness. 

Ian made a show of thinking it over before shaking his head in a negative and walking away from the counter instead. 

“What? So you can call me a girl for it later? Just watch the damn counter” He finally bit out, shoving past Mickey a second time and heading to the back room. 

He only had to wait two minutes before he heard Mickey lock the front door and follow him in, two cans of beer clutched in his hand. He placed the cans next to Ian before grabbing him by the face and taking over wordlessly. 

And Ian has to fight a smile. Hook, line and sinker. 

“No one is gonna look for Frank if he goes missing you know” Mickey offered finally. 

“Debs will. Carl too. And Fiona and Lip” Ian sighed, not really lying about it this time. 

“He hit them too?” Mickey asks despite himself, Ian’s mood worsening immediately. 

“No” He says bluntly “I’d kill him myself he did” 

“Yeah? They gonna kill him now?” Mickey shoots back and the words sting, because he had always wondered that himself. Wondered why Fiona did nothing every time he got hit for real. 

“Fuck you” Ian finally says “I can handle myself” 

“Sure you can tough guy” Mickey scoffs. 

“I can. It’s my shit to deal with” Ian says, voice firm for a minute before he hesitates “But thanks and uh i’ll ... if you ever need... you know” 

“Yeah whatever man” Mickey turned away, evidently done with the topic. 

*

Still, it only takes three days before Terry goes on another rampage and this time the redhead sends a text. 

“I heard. Dugout, 20 minutes” 

He’s not surprised when Mickey shows and he’s not surprised when it becomes a regular thing either.

You only had to figure out the unlock code once, or in this case Ian guesses what he used were cheat codes. But does it really matter?

**Author's Note:**

> Does anyone want to see Mickey, sometime in the future, finding out that Ian did this?
> 
> If you did, the next part is now up :)


End file.
